We Should Be Better

Coming up on this weekends show:

• The media core and the mediocre
• An in depth report on Humpty Dumpty
• What would Hitler watch (hint it's not anything to do with The Jews)
• The Writer's Strike Continues
• Much Much More?

So this morning we all wake up to see that Benazir Bhutto has been assassinated. Okay, that's not a huge surprise to anyone and I have to admit I don't have strong feelings about it other than that I'm not a big fan of assassination.

What's surprised me today is the venom I've seen spewed at the victim. I've never seen any victim of what is essentially political terrorism be so vilified so soon. Crazy right wingers are pulling out every allegation ever made about her as if they are all 100% true and crazy left wingers are rising to the bait and defending her.

I tried checking out the middle line on her today a bit and results come up inconclusive. We know she was smart, having gone to Harvard and Oxford. She was charismatic and all first hand accounts of her say she seemed to have real passion for leadership. She supported the Taliban and then later admitted it was a mistake to have done so. Kind of like how we supported Bin Laden when he was fighting the Rooskies only we don't much like to talk about that. She was accused of a great deal of corruption which may have been purely political or may have been valid.

I'm not going to lie and say I knew much about her or that I was a big fan. I don't and I'm not. I didn't know enough about her to hate her either. What I do know is that no matter who it is, when they are brought down by a terrorist attack, you don't start jumping up and down saying how great it was. I understand the impulse, I really do. When that movie came out about George W. Bush being assassinated, I was amused. I felt that kind of sick glee about the notion of being rid of such an odious murderer. But that was in a movie, a fantasy. I'd like to think that if such a thing really happened we, and the world, would be more outraged at the violent death than pleased. Otherwise what does that say about us?

I remember hearing about a relation of mine that when Martin Luther King Jr. was shot down he said, "It's about time somebody killed that nigger." Now I'm not equating King and Bhutto but when you celebrate murder, you debase yourself considerably.